Gender

Burundi First Lady Denise Nkurunziza (centre) exchanging pleasantries in Bujumbura with Femme Wise Africa co-president Speciosa Wandira Kazibwe (left), former Executive Secretary of the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), Liberata Mulamula (right), and Dr. Affiat Halleem, President of the ICGLR Regional Women's Forum in Khartoum, Sudan (far right). August 2018. UN Photo/Napoleon Viban


Notwithstanding the absence of a dedicated Gender unit, the work of the Office of the Special Envoy in Burundi fully aligns with the general policy of mainstreaming gender into all UN interventions.

To ensure gender-responsive mobilisation towards peace, dialogue and national reconciliation in Burundi, the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary General in Burundi (OSESG-B) works in liaison with civil society groups advocating women’s rights, UN Women, and the Consultative Committee of Women’s Platform within the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).

 

In consonance with Resolution 1325, a gender advocacy blueprint of the UN Security Council, this partnership pushes for the full participation of women in political life and dialogue processes across the Great Lakes region based on the principle of gender equality.

 

At every instance of the Inter-Burundi Dialogue, OSESG-B coordinates with other stakeholders, to ensure full, effective, and bi-partisan representation of Burundi women at the crucial peace talks.

 

The Office, too, has on occasion facilitated consultations in Burundi on the Women’s Platform of the Regional Oversight Mechanism for the Peace, Security and Cooperation for DR Congo and the Great Lakes region.  Of note was a Joint Solidarity Mission from the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary General for the Great Lakes (OSESG-GL), UN Women, the African Union (FemWise) and the CIGRL in August 2018.